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Jan. 15, 2021 / Volume 9, Issue 2
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IN THIS ISSUE: Reflections, Welcome Back, Gregg Garfin, APW,
Claire Tritz
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Reflections: A Reexamination of
Past Water Wishes
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Prior to beginning my series of Reflections essays, I published a column in each issue of the now-discontinued WRRC Arizona Water Resource newsletter. Because these short columns addressed relevant current-day water issues, I ask students in my graduate class, Water Policy in Arizona and Semi-arid Regions, to read the 75 columns I wrote between 2002 and 2018 and prepare some questions for discussion. In reviewing the columns before our first class meeting on January 15, I was reminded of my “15 Water Wishes for 2015” from six years ago. I decided to revisit these wishes and look at whether they were fulfilled. The column can be found in the compendium available on the WRRC website. Below, I reproduce my 15 wishes and provide brief updates and/or commentary on each.
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Brown Bag: Collaborative Capacity Building and Sovereign Science with NASA and the Navajo Nation
Date: Wednesday, Jan 20, 2021
Time: 12:00 - 1:15 p.m. MST
Speakers:
Amber Jean McCullum, PhD, Applied Scientist, BAERI/NASA Ames Research Center
Nikki Tulley, PhD Student, Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona
Sustained capacity building and knowledge exchange are vital to increase the use of NASA Earth Observations for Indigenous natural and cultural resource management. This presentation will explore multiple collaborations with NASA and the Indigenous Community including NASA's Indigenous Peoples Pilot project and the Navajo Nation Drought Severity Evaluation Tool project. Given the size of the Navajo Nation, the lack of consistent climate data, limited resources, and the increasing extent and severity of droughts, tools that assist water managers are essential.
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Upcoming Webinars
Feb 3: Recovery of AZ Water Bank Credits to Mitigate Shortages on the Colorado River
Rabi Gyawali, Water Resource Engineer, Arizona Department of Water Resources
Simone Kjolsrud, Technical Administrator, Arizona Water Banking Authority
Angie Lohse, Senior Policy Analyst, Central Arizona Project
Feb 16: Reaching Safe-Yield in the Phoenix AMA
Jessica Fox, Water Policy Advisor, AMWUA
Mar 11: Community Service and Environmental Justice as Essential Best Practices For the Clean Water Utility of the Future
Andrew Kricun, Managing Director, Moonshot Missions; Senior Fellow, US Water Alliance
Mar 31: The Internet of Water: Partnerships for Progress—Modernizing Water Data to Meet 21st Century Needs
Peter Colohan, Executive Director, Internet of Water, Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke University
Other Events
Feb 12: WRRC Chocolate Fest – Save the Date
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Here’s to 2021!
This week marks the start of the Spring 2021 semester, and the WRRC wants to extend a warm welcome to all returning students, faculty, and staff. We are excited to begin another year and look forward to engaging with you all. While perhaps many are happy to see 2020 pass into history, we now turn our attention to the projects and challenges ahead. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread through our communities and the first stages of the nationwide vaccination effort are underway, the WRRC remains committed to providing its programs, research, and engagement efforts virtually. UArizona has been designated as a Point of Distribution for the COVID-19 vaccine, immunizing residents who qualify under Phase 1B of the Arizona COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization, including UArizona faculty, staff, and Designated Campus Colleagues. Be sure to visit our website for updates on our activities and refer to the links below for information on the vaccination distribution effort. We wish everyone a safe, healthy, and rewarding semester!
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UArizona Expert Elected as
AAAS Fellow
In October 2020, UArizona expert on climate science and policy, Gregg Garfin, was named a 2020 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Garfin serves as Director of the Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, Deputy Director for Science Translation and Outreach of the Arizona Institutes for Resilience, and Associate Professor and Associate Extension Specialist in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment. Garfin earned the AAAS Fellow distinction for his work linking fundamental climate and paleoclimate science to climate services and decision making through climate assessment, knowledge exchange, and the development of translational ecology. Garfin is the co-lead author of the Southwest chapter of the Fourth National Climate Assessment. He is co-editor of Climate in Context: Science and Society Partnering for Adaptation, a 2016 book on the development and practice of use-inspired science and the co-production of science and policy through NOAA's RISA program. He has been encouraging scientists to work at the interface between research and decision-making. Seven other scholars from Arizona State University and Arizona Northern University received this AAAS distinction. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Garfin!
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Saving Groundwater at Schools
Gasps of excitement and broad smiles are common when students explore the groundwater system using APW’s 3D student models. APW is very excited and eager to expand this success through a multiyear grant from Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR), which provides funding to educate West Valley students on Arizona’s groundwater conditions.
To successfully protect Arizona’s groundwater supplies, we need to build an understanding of the solid foundation provided by the 1980 Groundwater Management Act, and the 100-year Assured Water Supply Rules. We need to learn about the groundwater system and how it interacts with other earth systems. Prioritizing sustainable water management has enabled us to thrive here in the desert, and we will continue that legacy with help from a knowledgeable populace.
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WRRC Student Highlight: Claire Tritz
Here at the WRRC, we are fortunate to work alongside incredible students, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Claire Tritz is one such student who joined the WRRC in September 2020, and has been helping with our many outreach activities. Claire, a graduate student in the Department of Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences, is researching mountain block recharge and ephemeral streams in the Santa Rita Mountains. Outside of work and school, Claire enjoys spending time hiking, cooking delicious food, and creating art. Thank you, Claire, for your ongoing efforts to bring our programs to the community.
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Please visit WRRC's website for a complete listing of water jobs & opportunities.
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